Energy Use Reduction

Carnegie Mellon University opened the $105 million Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics in fall of 2024. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the renovated and expanded facility embodies a new paradigm for holistic student health on the Pittsburg campus. The four-story, 154,000-sf development features a modern athletics facility for practice, performance, training, and athlete care, complemented by full-service clinical areas for University Health Services.

Appalachian State University is constructing the $61.5 million STEM Academic Building in Boone, N.C. Designed by Lord Aeck Sargent, the 50,000-sf facility will feature sophisticated venues for environmental science education. Flexible classrooms with built-in dividers will accommodate a range of programs, complemented by a full suite of biology labs. Supporting K-12 educational partnerships, the public-facing project will foster a greater understanding of the natural and cultural history of the Southern Appalachian region.

Teaching-only lab buildings are so much more than simplified versions of the latest shiny new research building on campus. They serve as a hub for students, a point of pride on tours for prospective students, and an opportunity to showcase a college or university’s identity. But they do require special design considerations, especially around safety.

The U.S. Department of Energy broke ground in September of 2024 on the Energy Materials and Processing at Scale (EMAPS) facility in Golden, Colorado. Located on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's South Table Mountain Campus, the $224 million development will create a direct path from bench-scale materials and process innovations to pilot-scale integration and production.

Montgomery College opened the Catherine and Isiah Leggett Math and Science Building in September of 2024 in Takoma Park, Md. The $104 million facility serves as a vibrant campus centerpiece that will drive excellence in STEM education. Featuring 20 advanced laboratories, the three-story, 108,000-sf structure includes a a planetarium, a cybersecurity center, and a greenhouse. Eight flexible classrooms can accommodate a range of pedagogies, complemented by versatile function spaces and an expansive atrium.

The University of Tennessee broke ground in September of 2024 on an expansion of the Haslam College of Business in Knoxville. Designed by McCarty Holsaple McCarty and RAMSA to accommodate record enrollment, the 243,800-sf building will provide 18 classrooms, three research labs, and two 300-seat auditoria. The collaborative facility will serve more than 10,000 students, faculty, staff, and guests weekly. 

Pennsylvania State University celebrated the opening of the Engineering Collaborative Research and Education Building (ECoRE) in University Park in September of 2024. Located on the West Campus, the 290,000-gsf structure features advanced research and teaching labs for programs in aerospace engineering, architectural engineering, acoustics, and civil and environmental engineering. Payette designed the $228 million facility with research programs grouped by theme to enhance interaction and increase the utilization of shared spaces. 

The University of California, San Diego will begin construction on the Multidisciplinary Life Sciences Building in fall of 2024. Designed by Flad Architects, the 200,000-sf project will be the first campus development that collocates health science research with biological science research and teaching. The multiuse facility advances the university's goal of fostering unprecedented inter-unit partnerships.

St. John's University will open the St. Vincent Health Sciences Center in September of 2024 on the Queens campus in New York. Designed by CannonDesign, the $106 million facility features state-of-the-art laboratories, active learning classrooms, and simulation suites to train the next generation of caregivers. The 70,000-sf building strategically collocates the School of Nursing with other allied health programs to promote interprofessional education, supported by flexible teaching venues where teams of students can work together.

The decreasing amount of time researchers spend in their labs is changing research facility design and space allocation, with an increased need for lab support space, a more significant reliance on core facilities, the creation of additional write-up and data analysis environments, and the purposeful inclusion of collaboration spaces.

Eli Lilly and Company opened the $700 million Lilly Seaport Innovation Center (LSC) in Boston in August of 2024. Developed by Alexandria Real Estate Equities and National Development, the 346,000-rsf facility offers Class A research environments for biomedical discovery. The 12-story structure also houses the first Lilly Gateway Labs on the East Coast to enable biotech start-ups to collaborate with Lilly scientists.

The University of Sheffield is planning to construct the £37 million Central Teaching Laboratory in the United Kingdom. Designed by Twelve Architects and BVN Architecture, the five-story, 85,000-sf facility will provide advanced instructional settings for the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Health. Two super labs accommodating 300 students will leverage extensive glazing to put science on display, complemented by specialized venues for tissue culture, anatomy, and applications requiring a fume hood.

One United Properties began construction in August of 2024 on One Technology District, a semiconductor R&D center in Bucharest, Romania. Infineon Technologies will occupy the facility and has committed to a 15-year lease that represents a total contract value of $62.2 million. Positioned to become the largest semiconductor hub in southeast Europe, the innovation complex will offer a gross leasable area of 222,000 sf, including 32,000 sf of next-generation lab space. 

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) is partnering with Grumman|Butkus Associates on a retrocommissioning initiative that is expected to deliver significant energy savings. Spanning nearly 1.7 million sf, the project includes the evaluation of seven existing buildings to identify deficiencies and craft innovative solutions.

UCSF Health is planning to construct a $1.49 billion hospital in Oakland that will enable the delivery of world-class pediatric care for decades to come. Designed by SmithGroup to optimize therapeutic outcomes, the seven-story, 277,500-sf facility will be illuminated by natural light, with numerous outdoor areas that are accessible to patients, families and staff. Strategic programming will allow sophisticated instrumentation to be accessed when needed without impeding clinical processes.